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Someone Like You by Sarah Dessen

Posted December 28, 2011 By dorolerium

Title: Someone Like You
Author: Sarah Dessen
Publisher: Puffin
Genre: YA Fiction
Pages: 281
How I Read It: Paperback purchased by me.

Synopsis: Life is an ugly, awful place not to have a best friend…

Halley and Scarlett have been best friends ever since they met.  Halley has always been the quiet one, Scarlett braver and more outgoing.  Halley has always turned to Scarlett when things get rough, and Scarlett has always known just what to do.  It’s the perfect setup.

But everything changes at the beginning of their junior year.  Scarlett’s boyfriend is killed in a motorcycle accident; then Scarlett finds out that she is carrying his baby.  For the first time ever, Scarlett really needs Halley.

Now Halley has to learn how to be strong for Scarlett.  It won’t be easy, but Halley knows that she can’t let Scarlett down.  Because a true friend is a promise you keep forever.

My Review: One of my favorite things about Sarah Dessen is how realistic she can be when it comes to how it felt to be a teenager.  It’s something that I think we tend to forget as adults, but reading one of her books really brings me back to how it all was.  In fact, I would say that any parent to a teenage girl would be wise to pick up some Dessen as a method to better understanding their daughter.

Although Scarlett’s pregnancy is certainly an important part of this book, the story is shown from Halley’s perspective.  This gives a great insight into what it’s like for a teenager going through a lot of different things – high school is hard enough when everything is as normal as possible, let alone dealing with your best friend being pregnant, and having your first relationship with a bad boy.

What really struck me was that in the scheme of things, Halley could be considered the “good” one out of her and Scarlett, yet Halley’s mom treats her like she’s the one who has ended up pregnant.  Granted, I wouldn’t love the idea of my daughter breaking curfew and hanging out with a boy I didn’t know, but Dessen does a great job of reminding you that…this is what being a teenager is like.  Regardless of how good or bad my boyfriends were in high school, I didn’t want to introduce them to my parents because it would be like giving up some independence.  And honestly, breaking curfew and cutting classes is the least of the bad things a kid can be doing!

I had also forgotten what life was like before cell phones – this book was written in 1998 and we so didn’t have phones like the kids do now.  It made for an interesting dynamic that just doesn’t happen anymore, with parents having more control over when the kids can use the phone, yet less of an idea about where your kids are at when they aren’t home.  I loved this little reminder of what things were like back when I was in high school.

This is definitely considered young adult fiction, but I loved it nonetheless.  There’s a lot of YA stuff out there that I read and just can’t get into, but Sarah Dessen is never one of them.  I feel like her books always tell a story I can identify with, even though I haven’t been a teenager for quite some time.  And for the record, I totally do not miss high school.

Read this book if: Any fan of Sarah Dessen will like this, and I honestly think it’s something everyone should read.

My Rating: 3.5/5 – Two thumbs up, fine holiday fun!

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The Christmas Cookie Club by Ann Pearlman

Posted December 23, 2011 By dorolerium

Title: The Christmas Cookie Club
Author: Ann Pearlman
Publisher: Atria
Genre: Holiday Fiction
Pages: 272
How I Read It: ARC received from the publisher – The views expressed in my review are mine alone and I have received no compensation for these opinions.

Synopsis: On the first Monday of December, every year, twelve friends gather in the evening with batches of homemade cookies wrapped in beautiful packages.  They drink wine, they eat, and they take turns telling the story of the cookies they have baked.

Somehow these stories are always emblematic of the year that has just passed.  Marnie’s daughter may lose her baby, Jeannie’s father is having an affair with her best friend, Rosie’s husband doesn’t want children, Taylor’s husband has left her.  These are stories about sisterly love and conflict, passion and disillusionment, family hardships and pleasures.

My Review: As the title indicates, each year, a group of friends meets before the holiday season to do a cookie exchange.  We quickly learn, however, that the cookie’s are really just an excuse for these friends to get together, one of the few times a year that all of them are together to share with each other.

This novel hit a familiar cord with me, as someone who had previously read The Friday Night Knitting Club series.  The ideas behind the two books are similar – a great reason for a fabulous group of ladies to get together and share their lives on a regular basis.  I wanted to know these ladies, to share in their lives, or at the very least start my own kind of cookie club.

The stories that unfold during the course of this novel are very heartwarming, and I definitely got teary through several parts of it.  I loved the friendships that we got to see throughout the book, the history being told from Marnie’s point of view as she is the one who brought the cookie club together.  I wanted to just settle in with a nice glass of wine and be a part of their party, even though I know I couldn’t be invited because I’d make number thirteen!

It also does a great job of reminding you of how valuable your friends can be, the people who are with you through many facets of your life and help you through it all as you age together.  I was recalling my great friendships as I was reading the book, and thinking of how grateful I am for the people in my life.  We’re all so lucky to have found these wonderful people who truly make our lives great.

This was a very fast read, I finished it in less than a day, and it was exactly the light and lovely read I was looking for.  Not only were the friendships fantastic to read about, each chapter starts with a cookie recipe and you could easily use them yourself.  Sprinkled in between each chapter is an informative section about different ingredients of baking, such as flour, nuts, ginger, butter, and my favorite, cinnamon.  I loved reading about that history, it’s like learning about baking while reading about cookies that made me excessively hungry.

I thought this was a nice holiday read, and something book clubs would enjoy this time of the year.  You could combine it all into one, have your book/cookie club!

Read this book if: This is billed as chick-lit, and I’d definitely agree with that label this time, as much as I hate that label.  It’s a delightful story and would be a great fireplace read for anyone looking for a light book.

My Rating: 3/5 – Two thumbs up, fine holiday fun!

Filed in 2011, Ann Pearlman, ARC, Royal Reviews | Tagged:

Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy

Posted December 22, 2011 By dorolerium

Title: Anna Karenina
Author: Leo Tolstoy
Publisher: Penguin
Genre: Russian Literature
Pages: 838
How I Read It: Paperback purchased by me.

Synopsis: Anna Karenina tells of the doomed love affair between the sensuous and rebellious Anna and the dashing officer, Count Vronsky. Tragedy unfolds as Anna rejects her passionless marriage and must endure the hypocrisies of society.

Set against a vast and richly textured canvas of nineteenth-century Russia, the novel’s seven major characters create a dynamic imbalance, playing out the contrasts of city and country life and all the variations on love and family happiness.

While previous versions have softened the robust, and sometimes shocking, quality of Tolstoy’s writing, Richard Pevear and Larissa Volokhonsky have produced a translation true to his powerful voice. This award-winning team’s authoritative edition also includes an illuminating introduction and explanatory notes. Beautiful, vigorous, and eminently readable, thisAnna Karenina will be the definitive text for generations to come.

My Review: A little over two and a half years after starting Anna Karenina, I finally finished it, and I consider this to be a huge accomplishment.  This is definitely a large novel, but the cause of my delay is really due to the dense nature of what’s in this tome.  Like all classics, there are a lot of extra details in here that you wouldn’t see on a modern novel.  But unlike so many of those, I found the details to mostly be engaging, although I do get tired of the endless talk of lawmaking and farming theories.

I did smaller, snippet reviews as I finished each part of the novel, so if you’re interested in viewing each of those, just view the Anna Karenina tag on this post.  I’m going to primarily focus on my thoughts from the last section of the book.

My biggest thought throughout Part 8 was “when are they going to deal more with Vronsky?”  And that question was never really answered.  He was touched on a tiny bit, but given the monumental change that occurred in his life at the end of Part 7, I would have figured him to be a central figure in this last part.  Short of that, I would have expected those who were closest to Anna to be the ones we focused on to the end.  That wasn’t the case, and it bothered me quite a bit.

Instead, we spend most of the section talking about Levin and his never ending quest to find a purpose in life and to be happy.  Levin is a character that I liked throughout the novel, but found him to be a bit boring, and it was difficult for me to remain engaged in his struggles while I was still concerned about what was going on in the lives of those closer to Anna.  Unfortunately, the focus that Tolstoy put on Levin during this section ultimately made me dislike the character more, because I felt so unfulfilled after the end of Part 7.

That all being said, I still enjoyed the novel as a whole and it’s one I will consider rereading in the future.  Granted, it took me over two years this first time, so I’ll likely not pick it up for a long time to come, but I think this is not my last foray into the life of Anna K.

Read this book if: I think any lover of classic literature should definitely pick this one up.  Unless you are an incredibly fast reader, don’t be disappointed by how long it may take you, and don’t feel daunted by the size.  It’s a long one, but worth your time.

My Rating: 4/5 – Borderline Amazing!

Filed in 1% Well Read, 2011, Leo Tolstoy | Tagged: ,

Son of a Witch by Gregory Maguire

Posted December 19, 2011 By dorolerium

Title: Son of a Witch
Author: Gregory Maguire
Publisher: Regan Books
Genre: Fantasy
Pages: 352
How I Read It: Hard cover purchased by me.

Synopsis: Ten years after the publication of Wicked, we’re returned to the land of Oz.  We are reintroduced to Liir, an adolescent boy last seen hiding in the shadows of the castle after Dorothy did in the Witch.  Bruised, comatose, and left for dead in a gully, Liir is shattered in spirit as well as in form.  But he is tended at the Cloister of Saint Glinda by the silent novice called Candle, who wills him back to life with her musical gifts.

What dark force left Liir in this condition?  Is he really Elphaba’s son?  He has her broom and her cape – but what of her powers?  Can he find his supposed half-sister, Nor, last seen in the forbidding prison, Southstairs?  Can he fulfill the last wishes of a dying princess?  In an Oz that, since the Wizard’s departure, is under new and dangerous management, can Liir keep his head down long enough to grow up?

My Review: The first time I read this book, I didn’t think much of Liir himself.  He’s a rather obtuse boy who becomes a rather obtuse sort of man.  Subsequent readings have somewhat altered that perception of him, but on the whole, he’s still very frustrating to me.  I can’t remember the last time I read a character who seems to despise themselves this much and thinks so little of their own value.  Oh wait, yes I can – it was Bella Swan!

Liir is a boy who has really suffered from not knowing the truth of his parentage – and to an extent, no one fully knows that truth anyway.  It becomes clear over the course of both Wicked and this novel that he is, in fact, the offspring of Elphaba and Fiyero, although even to the reader I guess we’re never quite sure about that either.  So I can see how Liir would be so confused, and happy to just wander around wherever the wind blows him for quite some time.

Although he never demonstrates the talents that my beloved Elphaba possessed, it’s obvious after a time that he does share some of her characteristics, particularly her protectiveness of Fiyero’s family and desire to help the Animals of Oz.  He is far less capable than she is, but manages to have an impact despite his uncertainty and lack of talents.

The book has a weird pacing to it, sometimes it’s difficult to tell what is a flashback and what is happening in the present, but I realized – that’s kind of the point.  Liir is stuck in his memories, no one is sure if he’ll live or die, and we’re going on this journey with him.  We need to find Liir’s voice as much as he does, to figure out his role in life, and ultimately see if he can contribute to the history of Oz.

As was the case with Wicked, I feel like Maguire devoted a lot of time and thought to this novel with the full intention of making it be a piece of the larger puzzle that is his entire series.  For those who have read further into the series, you probably know that each of these books is focusing on a different segment of what is going on in Oz, everything is another piece that falls into place.  And a lot of this book makes more sense to me later on, which I’m sure will only improve when I finish the series.

Read this book if: I would encourage anyone who is a fan of this series to read the second book – still one of my favorite series ever.

My Rating: 4/5 – Borderline Amazing!

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My Horizontal Life – A Collection of One-Night Stands by Chelsea Handler

Posted December 16, 2011 By dorolerium

Title: My Horizontal Life – A Collection of One-Night Stands
Author: Chelsea Handler
Publisher: Bloomsbury USA
Genre: Comedy
Pages: 213
How I Read It: Paperback purchased by me.

Synopsis: In this raucous collection of true-life stories, actress and comedian Chelsea Handler recounts her time spent in the social trenches with that wild, strange, irresistible, and often gratifying beast: the one-night stand.

You’ve either done it or know someone who has: the one-night stand, the familiar outcome of a night spent at a bar, sometimes the sole payoff for your friend’s irritating wedding, or the only relief from a disastrous vacation. Often embarrassing and uncomfortable, occasionally outlandish, but most times just a necessary and irresistible evil, the one-night stand is a social rite as old as sex itself and as common as a bar stool.

Enter Chelsea Handler. Gorgeous, sharp, and anything but shy, Chelsea loves men and lots of them. My Horizontal Life chronicles her romp through the different bedrooms of a variety of suitors, a no-holds-barred account of what can happen between a man and a sometimes very intoxicated, outgoing woman during one night of passion. From her short fling with a Vegas stripper to her even shorter dalliance with a well-endowed little person, from her uncomfortable tryst with a cruise ship performer to her misguided rebound with a man who likes to play leather dress-up, Chelsea recalls the highs and lows of her one-night stands with hilarious honesty. Encouraged by her motley collection of friends (aka: her partners in crime) but challenged by her family members (who at times find themselves a surprise part of the encounter), Chelsea hits bottom and bounces back, unafraid to share the gritty details. My Horizontal Life is one guilty pleasure you won’t be ashamed to talk about in the morning.

My Review: I bought this book awhile ago after hearing about it from a friend.  I’d actually been watching Chelsea Lately for awhile before buying the book, and find her so hilarious that I figured the book was probably right up my alley.  Comedy isn’t typically my thing book wise, it’s hard for me to find things in print to be laugh out loud funny like they are for most people, and I kind of suffered from the same problem with this one.  It was definitely funny, but I think I really only smiled.

I blame myself for this, because I really just don’t laugh at books most of the time.  I also feel a little like Chelsea hadn’t found her voice quite yet when this was written, because she’s much funnier now.  Nonetheless, it was entertaining and I had a fun time reading through the whole thing.

Although there are definitely one-night stands in this book, there are a lot of stories about dealing with men in general – some are gay and aren’t really one-night stands in the traditional sense.  Some of the men she talks about she actually has relationships with.  There are even things about her family!

All of this makes the book very likeable and fun to read, it’s like having a bit of an insight into Chelsea…although I guess you never really know, she could have made the whole thing up!  It was certainly entertaining enough to encourage me to read the rest of her books, which are conveniently already on my shelf.

Read this book if: On the whole, I think fans of Chelsea Handler will like this one.  It’s a fun, fast, light read!

My Rating: 3.5/5 – Two thumbs up, fine holiday fun!

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Switched by Amanda Hocking

Posted December 9, 2011 By dorolerium

Title: Switched
Author: Amanda Hocking
Publisher: St. Martin’s Griffin
Genre: YA Paranormal
Pages: 293
How I Read It: ARC received from the publisher – The views expressed in my review are mine alone and I have received no compensation for these opinions.

Synopsis: When Wendy Everly was six-years-old, her mother was convinced she was a monster and tried to kill her. It isn’t until eleven years later that Wendy discovers her mother might have been right. With the help of Finn Holmes, Wendy finds herself in a world she never knew existed – a world both beautiful and frightening, and Wendy’s not sure she wants to be a part of it.

My Review: Wendy doesn’t really fit in anywhere – she’s been kicked out of schools, doesn’t make friends, hates all kinds of food.  And then she discovers she can get people to do what she wants if she focuses hard enough.  When other strange things start to happen around her, Wendy starts trusting the new kid, Finn, and heads out on a journey that will undoubtedly change her life.

This was a fast read for me, I finished it in the span of a few hours, and it was an entertaining, nice escape read for an afternoon.  Although the book follows a somewhat predictable plot, one that I think we’re all somewhat familiar with lately with YA books, but it’s still enjoyable and slightly different in that the paranormal beings are, in fact, trolls.  I also liked that while there was some romance, it wasn’t nearly so explicit as it can be in other series, and I’m a fan of YA novels actually being somewhat age appropriate.

That all being said, I didn’t love the book, and it was merely entertaining for me instead of being something that really meant something and was loveable.  I think it’ll be a great read for the target audience, but something was just missing for me and I can’t really put my finger on what it is.  The plot was reasonably exciting, the boys seemed cute, I guess I just didn’t really connect with it somehow.

However, the book did leave me curious enough to want to read the rest of the series.  We end this one not knowing what’s going to happen in the troll world, or really to Wendy herself and the people she really cares about.  Will she go on to fulfill her destiny?  Stay with the family she loves?  Or find some way to merge the two worlds?  Only time will tell!

Read this book if: I think most younger fans of current YA lit will like this one.  And quite a few adult fans as well.

My Rating: 3/5 – Two thumbs up, fine holiday fun!

Filed in 2011, Amanda Hocking, ARC | Tagged:

Wicked by Gregory Maguire

Posted December 5, 2011 By dorolerium

Title: Wicked
Author: Gregory Maguire
Publisher: Regan Books
Genre: Fantasy
Pages: 406
How I Read It: Paperback purchased by me.

Synopsis: When Dorothy triumphed over the Wicked Witch of the West in L. Frank Baum’s classic tale, we heard only her side of the story.  But what about her arch-nemesis, the mysterious Witch?  Where did she come from?  How did she become so wicked?  And what is the true nature of evil?

Gregory Maguire creates a fantasy world so rich and vivid that we will never look at Oz the same way again.  Wicked is about a land where animals talk and strive to be treated like first-class citizens, Munchkinlanders seek the comfort of middle-class stability, and the Tin Man becomes a victim of domestic violence.  And then there is the little green skinned girl named Elphaba, who will grow up to become the infamous Wicked Witch of the West, a smart, prickly, and misunderstood creature who challenges all our preconceived notions about the nature of good and evil.

My Review: I’ve lost count of the number of times I’ve read Wicked, but I can safely say that I enjoy it more every time I read it.  I adore getting caught up in the world of Oz regardless of the source, but Maguire’s world holds a special place in my heart.  I feel like I catch more about this world every time I read the series, which makes me respect Maguire even more as an author.

This version of Oz provides a great backdrop for commentary on things that are going on in our society, and really can be modified to think of social issues we’re dealing with at any time.  The struggle of the Animals in this book can be likened to the struggle of any minority in our social landscape, which makes it more sad to me because I know these kinds of horrible things have happened in our history, and are still happening now in some way or another.

Aside from all the political and social implications, we get to see the entire life of Elphaba, and her involvement with the other important figures of Oz that we are already familiar with – Glinda, the Wizard, the Cowardly Lion, Tin Man, and the Wicked Witch of the East.  Maguire does a great job of linking all these people together, since Oz is such a small land you know many of them would have come in contact with each other before Dorothy’s arrival.  It also sets the backdrop for future books in this series, as we see the origin of the Lion in this book, who goes on to be a central character in the third book in the series.  At the same time, I originally read Wicked before any sequels had come out, so it’s fascinating to see how Maguire has weaved these threads together over the course of the whole series, and built upon the foundation he sets up so nicely in the first book.

As always, I immensely enjoyed reading this book again, and even though we all know how the Witch meets her end, I keep hoping a little bit that it’ll be different somehow.  Through the brilliance of the series, however, we do get to see Elphaba’s life carry on in a way, which really fills me with a joy.  She’s such an amazing character, one that I feel so many ties to, and I’m so glad to have her in my life as often as I want.

Read this book if: I’m a huge fan of this series, so I would suggest it to anyone!  I sort of force this book upon anyone who displays any interest at all.

My Rating: 5/5 – Did I say cool?  Make that awesome!

 

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Leaving the World by Douglas Kennedy

Posted December 2, 2011 By dorolerium

Title: Leaving the World
Author: Douglas Kennedy
Publisher: Atria
Genre: Fiction
Pages: 448
How I Read It: ARC received from the publisher – The views expressed in my review are mine alone and I have received no compensation for these opinions.

Synopsis: On the night of her thirteenth birthday, Jane Howard made a vow to her warring parents: she would never get married, and she would never have children. But life, as Jane comes to discover, is a profoundly random business.

Many years and many lives later, she is a professor in Boston, in love with a brilliant, erratic man named Theo. And then Jane becomes pregnant. Motherhood turns out to be a great welcome surprise — but when a devastating turn of events tears her existence apart she has no choice but to flee all she knows and leave the world.

Just when she has renounced life itself, the disappearance of a young girl pulls her back from the edge and into an obsessive search for some sort of personal redemption. Convinced that she knows more about the case than the police do, she is forced to make a decision — stay hidden or bring to light a shattering truth.

Leaving the World is a riveting portrait of a brilliant woman that reflects the way we live now, of the many routes we follow in the course of a single life, and of the arbitrary nature of destiny. A critically acclaimed international bestseller, it is also a compulsive read and one that speaks volumes about the dilemmas we face in trying to navigate our way through all that fate throws in our path.

My Review: Wow, this book.  I’m not even sure I know how to review it, to be honest.  While I started it with no real expectations, I found myself on multiple occasions thinking, “This is so not what I expected.”  Which is a pretty hard thing to say, since I didn’t really expect anything.

I will say that I liked it, and at the same time say that I felt like someone had punched me several times during the course of the novel.  Jane’s childhood and relationship with her parents by itself is a sad story, one that had me crying on multiple occasions.  On top of that, we get to see just how much that childhood can reach into adulthood and continue to affect someone.  Furthermore, there are all kinds of other horrible things that Jane has to encounter – and it was almost too much for this reader.

I’ve said before that I can be a sensitive consumer of all entertainment: you show me a touching show, commercial, play some music for me, I will be crying.  I give this as a disclaimer to say that for a reader who is less sensitive than I am, you’ll probably be able to get through this one more easily.  This is not to say that I think other sensitive readers should avoid it – on the contrary, I think this is a great novel that we can all benefit in some way from reading.  I just want to give a warning to those who may have a more emotional palate.

Through the events of the novel, I kept coming back to the thoughts I had about Jane’s relationship with her mother, and how in many ways I see parallels to my relationship with my own mother in it.  This was one of those books that took me inside myself on multiple occasions, which can be good for the soul at times.

I found it to be a reasonably fast read, although there were times that some of the mundane details bogged me down a bit.  That being said, I read the whole thing in the matter of a couple of days, and probably would have finished it more quickly if I didn’t have a pesky job to get in the way.

With that in mind, it is heavy reading and I think even the most seasoned, non-emotional reader is going to tear up a few times.  There are some hard concepts in this one, something I wouldn’t shy away from but I feel everyone should be prepared for that.  I really feel that this author understands loss, and if not, is very good at pretending he does.

Read this book if: You’re prepared for an emotional ride through this poor woman’s life.  I definitely say people should read this, but again, you need to be prepared emotionally cuz this one is gonna hurt!

My Rating: 3/5 – Two thumbs up, fine holiday fun!

 

Filed in 2011, ARC, Douglas Kennedy, Royal Reviews | Tagged:

Anna Karenina: Part 7 by Leo Tolstoy

Posted November 28, 2011 By dorolerium

Anna Karenina – Part 7

I knew this segment was going to be difficult for me.  In fact, part of me really didn’t want to read it.  I don’t know when I found out that Anna herself was committing suicide during the course of the novel, or how I knew it was in part 7, but I knew this and was dreading reading it.  It was difficult, and it still is.

Reading guide questions from Oprah.com…

*****

1. What did you think when you learned Levin was a writer? Discuss the similarities between his character and what you know of Tolstoy.

I primarily consider Levin to be a bit boring, so I wasn’t exactly impressed by him being a writer.  I don’t actually know anything of Tolstoy personally, which means I haven’t drawn any comparisons between the two of them.  I like Levin, but he’s just kind of dull.

2. When Levin and Anna finally meet, what did you think of their interaction? Is it as you expected it might be, or different? How do you feel about the fact that Levin pities Anna?

Although Levin and Anna have people in common family wise, it never really occurred to me that they would meet.  But it wasn’t surprising that Levin was somehow drawn to Anna, as she just seems like that sort of woman.  I understand Levin pitying Anna, I pity her myself in some way.  I have mixed feelings about it, because I’m a supporter of women being able to do what they want, but Anna doesn’t live in a time where that’s really an option, so the situation is of her own making.

3. Talk about the way that Levin’s life seems to lose purpose when he goes to Moscow. How does this relate to his happiness at other times? What messages does the author seem to be sending about city life?

Levin is very clearly not a city person.  He’s always happier when he’s away from the city, it’s been the case from the very beginning of the novel.  City life as described by Tolstoy seems corrupt and mostly pointless.  To get ahead, you have to attend bunches of parties and events, rub elbows with other important people, and get into debates with them.  With that in mind, I’d be bored and unhappy too!

4. Discuss Levin’s fascination with Kitty’s process of childbirth. Does this seem like a normal reaction to you?

I was really struck by Levin being so worried that Kitty was going to die in childbirth.  Although it was a much more dangerous time than the one we live in, it seemed like a bad idea to be so focused on the worst possible outcome.  Levin is a strange man, however, so while his reaction wasn’t normal in my mind, it seems pretty typical for him.

5. Stiva’s financial circumstances worsen as the novel progresses. How do you feel his choices with money mirror his other choices or his morality?

Oooooh Stiva.  He’s so charming, yet so irresponsible.  I never really know what to think of him, I feel like Stiva is a stereotype that even now, we all know some version of.  His choices with money are horrible, he spends far too much of it and not nearly enough time at home with his family, which contributes to other problems in his life.  Stiva is like that guy who never really grew out of the college mindset, and conveniently forgets he has a whole adult life going on.

6. What do you think about the fact that Seryozha has grown to consider his memories of his mother “shameful?” What impact do you expect this has on Karenin and Anna?

It strikes me as very sad, I don’t really feel like it’s appropriate at all, but undoubtedly Karenin and his lady friend do nothing to discourage Seryozha’s new opinion and memories of his mother.  In fact, the Countess probably encourages it as another weapon to use against Anna.  I would expect that this has a mixed effect on Karenin, as he doesn’t really seem to want to remember Anna fondly, but he’s not an evil man and I don’t think he necessarily wishes her ill either.

7. At the beginning of Chapter XXIII, Tolstoy  writes: “In order to undertake anything in family life, it is necessary that there be either complete discord between the spouses or loving harmony.” (p. 739) Do you agree?

Maybe things were different back when Tolstoy wrote this, but I definitely don’t agree at this point in our society.  Obviously it would be awesome if there was complete loving harmony in a marriage, but I think we all realize that’s not realistic.  But to insist that there be complete discord?  That’s just insane!  That’s recipe for divorce in my book.

8. Talk about Anna’s extreme jealousy. Do you feel it is founded, or is it a reflection of other things going on in her life?

Anna totally drove me nuts in this section.  She was so over the top and ridiculous.  Vronsky seems annoyed for sure, but there wasn’t really any evidence that he was going to take off with another woman, and if he did, undoubtedly Anna’s behavior would have contributed to it.  I think Anna is just unhappy, and not really for any good reason, which is a very large problem in her life.

9. Discuss, with as much candor as possible, your feelings about Anna’s death. Talk about her reasons for doing it, her choices surrounding it, and what you expect the reaction to her death to be.

Anna’s death was a hard thing for me to read.  I knew it was coming, but that didn’t make it any easier.  Given my personal experience with suicide, I cannot support Anna’s decision in any way.  She definitely made some poor choices along the way that contributed to her unhappiness, but all she really needed to do was go back to the country to get away from a lot of those problems.  Or really, being on the European continent and having already left Russia once, they could have simply left again and gone to a country where her marriage situation didn’t matter.  I think everyone is going to be sad about her death, although I suspect Vronsky will rebound from it relatively quickly.

10. Think about the way Tolstoy framed Anna’s death, and the actual passage in which she dies. What strikes you about them?

The thing I noticed the most about Anna’s death was how right after making the final plunge, which she didn’t seem entirely committed to, she regretted what she was doing.  It made the passage harder to read.  Anna seemed somewhat out of her own body already, and reading this makes me wonder how familiar Tolstoy was with suicide and depression.  If nothing else, I’m not recovered enough from my own grief resulting from suicide to have read about this, it was very difficult for me and I honestly couldn’t wait to get past it in the book.

Filed in 1% Well Read, 2011, Books, Leo Tolstoy | Tagged:

The Soldier’s Wife by Margaret Leroy

Posted November 25, 2011 By dorolerium

Title: The Soldier’s Wife
Author: Margaret Leroy
Publisher: Hyperion
Genre: Historical Fiction
Pages: 416
How I Read It: ARC received from the publisher – The views expressed in my review are mine alone and I have received no compensation for these opinions.

Synopsis: As the war draws closer and closer to Guernsey and her home, Vivienne de la Mare knows that there will be sacrifices to be made.  Not just for herself, but for her two young daughters and for her mother-in-law, for whom she cares while her husband is away fighting.

What she does not know nor expect is that she will fall in love with one of the enigmatic German soldiers who take up residence in the house next door to her home.  As their relationship intensifies, so do the pressures on Vivienne.  Food and resources grow scant, dementia takes hold of her mother-in-law, and the restrictions placed upon the residents of the island grow with each passing week.  Though Vivienne knows the perils of her love affair with Gunther, she believes that she can keep their relationship – and her family – safe.  But when her young daughter befriends a prisoner from a work camp, she must decide if she is willing to risk her personal happiness for the life of a stranger.

A novel full of grand passion and intensity, The Soldier’s Wife makes readers take pause and wonder “What would you do for your family?” “What should you do for a stranger?” and “What would you do for love?”

My Review: This was my first foray into historical fiction set in World War II, and I wasn’t sure what to expect at first.  Having grown up in the US, I think my opinion and views of WWII are rather different than that of the rest of the world.  While all wars are devastating, things weren’t nearly so risky living here as it was in Europe.

As a result, this book helped give me a different perspective on the war and how it affected an ordinary family like the de la Mare’s.  I can only imagine what it would be like to live in an occupied territory, having a state imposed curfew and worrying about what it might look like if I’m seen talking to certain people.  And on top of that, worrying about how to feed not only my family, but other people less fortunate than myself – I’m scared just thinking about it.

But that’s the reality for Vivienne, who makes a last minute decision to stay on Guernsey instead of taking the boat over to England.  When the German’s come to occupy their little island, it’s actually not quite as bad at first as you might imagine.  There are limitations imposed, but Vivienne does her best to make the lives of her family members as easy possible.  After not too long, the island is cut off from the mainland and everyone is forced to find new ways to survive in an increasingly harsh world.

When Vivienne meets Gunther, she feels rather conflicted – something about him is a huge draw to her, but she doesn’t want to let down the side by fraternizing with the enemy.  In the end, her love wins out and she embarks on a great journey of love in a dangerous time, full of secrets and double lives.

There are so many different choices Vivienne must make on a daily basis, the biggest one being how to best protect her family from the various risks they confront, most of which her children aren’t even aware of.  While her affair with Gunther is dangerous from some aspects, it unintentionally serves the purpose of protecting the family at the same time.  Which can sometimes mean the difference between life and death.

This book shows not only a different side of the war, but really illustrates that not everyone involved is necessarily a bad person.  Many of the soldiers on the island are forced themselves between choosing life or death – you either follow orders, or you will likewise be disposed of.  It’s an ugly truth in the world they are living in, and one I hope I never have to face.

Read this book if: You enjoy historical fiction set during this time.  It’s a sad story, but one that is worth the effort.

My Rating: 3.5/5 – Two thumbs up, fine holiday fun!

 

Filed in 2011, ARC, Margaret Leroy, Royal Reviews | Tagged:
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